Turkish children playing in a
muddy courtyard; faces of Vietnamese girls pressed against the windows
of dirty barracks; security guards with their guns standing near the
fences. This is an area in Cottbus, an industrial town in Germany that
the police are trying to protect. It looks more like a prison than a
refuge for immigrants who are more and more exposed to the violence of
racist groups, like the skinheads.
Earlier this month, gangs of lawless
German youths began attacking Vietnamese, Turkish and African
labourers, so the authorities have rushed the
victims to such
places like Cottbus. Indeed, a wave of anti-immigrant violence is
sweeping Germany. Every day brings some new spectacle of terror.
Luckily the violence is limited to small uncontrolled groups. Most Germans are outraged at those racist gangs and refer to
them as criminals and delinquents looking for fun. Thousands of Germans
have marched in Berlin and other cities to protest against racism.
However, foreign workers in Germany still fear for their lives and their families and do not feel totally secure.
Some are thinking of going back to their native countries.
A.
Answer the questions.
- What’s the immigrants’ refuge in Cottbus like?
- Who are responsible for the racist violence?
- What’s the attitude of most Germans to this situation?
B.
Complete the sentences.
- Foreign workers and their families have moved to Cottbus because …
- In spite of the security measures taken by the authorities, …
C.
True or false?
- The racist gangs have no serious reasons for being violent.
- The Germans have forced foreign workers to return to their countries.
D.
What do the underlined words refer to?
- the victims (§ 2)
- them (§ 3)
- some (§ 4)
E.
Find in the text words which mean the same as …
- shelter
- workers
- safe